That old i7 870 with Windows 10 is still functional but may need updates or repairs.
That old i7 870 with Windows 10 is still functional but may need updates or repairs.
Discovered a vintage setup featuring an i7 870 processor available at no cost, requiring only an SSD upgrade and adding 4GB of RAM. Interested in its performance for typical web use in Windows 10, and what it could handle when paired with a 750ti GPU for gaming like Roblox.
This setup can handle Windows 10 effectively with an SSD and additional RAM. I’m unsure how a game such as Roblox would perform, but based on what I understand of it, it should work reasonably well. Regular web browsing and typical office work would also function properly.
What model are we talking about? Is it a low-quality OEM motherboard or something solid that supports overclocking? It should work fine with W10, especially with extra RAM and an SSD. The stock version is pretty slow, so if the board doesn’t handle the clock speed then discard it and get a budget H55 or P55 that can reach 4GHz. You’ll likely hit around 4.2–4.3 GHz at 1.35V, with the core around 3900–4000 and voltage between 1.45–1.5V (max core up to 1.6V). The first-gen IMX is not great, so you probably won’t be able to run above 2200 MHz DDR3 unless you have better chips like the X/E Westmere 1366 Xeon or 1156 Xeon and I3 IMXs. I haven’t tested any Nehalem i7 IMXs either because no boards have been verified. RAM overclocking is straightforward on older systems, but if you’re not focused on RAM tuning, stick to around 1400 MHz even for 224MHz clocks.